


What Lies Within

by kirallie



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, MT Prompto Argentum, Prompto Argentum Needs a Hug, Prompto Argentum will always love Chocobos, Prompto was never rescued, no pairings chosen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2020-06-25 16:24:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19749400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirallie/pseuds/kirallie
Summary: While looking for ingredients for Ignis to use, Noctis stumbles across a lone, damaged, MT unit. He'd never imagined a machine could seem resigned or even speak yet this one did. Maybe there was more to them than they knew? Noctis did know that Ignis and Gladio were going to kill him, if the MT didn't.I haven't chosen any pairings, unsure if there will be any at this point.





	1. ch1

_Disclaimer: Don’t own FFXV_

_I know, I shouldn’t start another, but I couldn’t help it. Not sure if there will be pairings or not._

**Chapter 1**

Noctis grumbled to himself as he fought through the brush. Did Specs really need the mushrooms? Apparently he did, or else he wouldn’t have sent Noctis and Gladio out looking for them. He hated camping but he loved Ignis’ cooking which was how he’d been convinced to go mushroom hunting with the sun low in the sky. The terrain around Alstor Slough varied quite a bit, he was just on the other side of the water to the Haven they were camping at, making his way uphill through thickening trees. There was another Haven nearby at least, should he need it.

Nothing in his life had prepared him for this, for living on the road, always hunted by Imperial forces. He didn’t know how they always seemed to find them either. Even in dense tree cover where no ship should be able to detect them, they’d run into the MT’s. The only good thing about his life now was Specs and Gladio. He didn’t know how he could do it without them, he was pretty sure he would have died on his first hunt without them, if not then, then he would have died fighting to get back into the city. They were the only friends he’d ever had, even if he and Gladio didn’t always get along. There were times….he wished for more, a friend who had truly chosen him, just Noct, not the Crown Prince and not partly out of duty. It’d never happened though, the kids at school wanted to be the Prince’s friend and to let everyone know. And then he almost tripped over a root as it hit him, most if not all of those kids were dead now or living under the control of Imperial forces within Insomnia. Word of what it was like was hard to come by but there was some, martial law was the kindest thing said.

He’d never really hated the Empire before, it had felt so distant, but now he would gladly strangle the Emperor with his bare hands. That was the only good thing about the MT’s finding them, it let him take some of his anger out on the Empire. The Empire cared nothing for the people it supposedly ruled, the Emperor just wanted to rule the world. It sickened Noct, he had been raised to know he would rule his people yes, but that he must always do his best for them, to keep them safe and happy. His father had failed, but he had died fighting the Empire, even if Insomnia had fallen with him.

He wished they’d had more time together, that he’d done more to show how much he had loved his Dad, how much he’d appreciated everything Regis had done to try and let him be a normal teenager. He wished his Dad hadn’t kept what was coming from him, then again, would he have ever agreed to leave if he had known?

He came out into a clearing and it took a second to realise what he was seeing. At the other end, propped up against some rocks, was an MT. He tensed but it didn’t move, and he couldn’t see a weapon anywhere. He listened carefully but all he could hear was the normal sounds of wildlife which tended to indicate there were no large groups of MT’s around. He called the Engine Blade to hand and took a cautious step closer, no point wasting the magic of a warp strike if the thing was already dead. He was halfway there when the thing moved, masked face slowly rising, unsettling crimson eyes looking his way and Noctis stopped, watching it. Slowly, an arm rose towards him, jerking and shaking and then his jaw almost dropped from shock.

“H…He…lp…” the voice was scratchy, jerky, and it sort of buzzed with static…but it was a voice. He had never heard an MT speak before, hadn’t thought they could. The green mask was expressionless which didn’t make things less creepy. Why would it ask him for help? Maybe it didn’t recognise him? he was torn, he should kill it immediately and yet… “H..el…p…me…” its body jerked slightly. “Ple….s…”

His sword vanished and he slowly moved closer, coming to crouch near it. “Help how?” he asked softly, not wanting to speak loudly and startle it. The mask slowly turned to face him since he was crouching at its side and he noticed the crimson of its eyes wasn’t as bright. Then he noticed the armour was dulled on one side…no, it was black fluid covering the shine. He was crazy, he should help by putting it out of its misery and yet he hesitated. How many of his people had this thing killed? Why was he hesitating? Because it spoke?

“P…ow…r….at…7%....” was the stuttered answer.

Noctis stared at the MT as it hit him….fear…it was afraid. Despite the strange voice and blank face, he could almost feel the fear coming from it. Since when did MT’s feel anything, let alone fear? “What can I do?” he asked even as he mentally hit himself for asking. Even if he could help it, what was to stop it attacking once fixed?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Unit 05953234 remained propped against the rocks where it had dragged itself. It’s armour was compromised, and it knew it was leaking vital fluids. It’s power systems were running far too low; it’s homing beacon disabled. It had failed, it should be shut down. It hadn’t even been a combat mission, but its squadron had been attacked by a Behemoth. It had been tossed by the beast, its armour punctured, and it had ceased to function for a time. When it had come back online it had been alone, obviously thought to be permanently deactivated. It had dragged itself into the shelter of the trees to be safe from the sun since the armour was damaged.

Its vision was barely functional, but it had still registered the approaching human. It had taken several seconds to register the male was Lucian…unarmed. Civilian? Yes, it decided, this was a civilian and civilians were not targets. A sword appeared in his hand and it changed the designation from civilian, but it still might not be a target. Lucis had Hunters who dealt with beasts and daemons and kept civilians safe as units did. It struggled to lift an arm towards the Lucian, he would either terminate the unit or help, either way, it would be over. “H…He…lp…” It forced through rarely used vocals, knowing it sounded like nothing human, was it understandable? “H..el…p…me…” Its body jerked slightly as something misfired. “Ple….s…”

The Lucian disarmed himself and moved closer, out of its visual range. “Help how?” the voice was soft…was this what gentleness was? It slowly turned to see him, the Lucian was blurry, and it knew its optics were failing.

“P…ow…r….at…7%....” It informed him; it could feel itself shutting down. It did not want to terminate.

The Lucian was staring at it, at least it thought he was, it was getting very hard to interpret any visual data. “What can I do?” the Lucian asked.

It dug a clumsy hand into its armour, pulling back protective plating to reveal the charging port. It was harder than ever to do as power levels continued to drop; limbs barely responsive. Then it could feel human hands on the armour, looking the port over.

“I don’t have…..charge….with….”

Audio reception was now failing, and it felt its head slump down.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“I don’t have anything to charge this with,” Noctis admitted before nearly jumping as the helmet slumped down. “Hey!” he reached up to tip the helmet back up only to see the dimmest of crimson glows. It was dying and he knew he should let it, one less MT to fight. If their positions were reversed, he had no doubt the MT would run him through or snap his neck since it didn’t have a weapon. And yet…he couldn’t do it. Specs was gonna kill him. He touched the port and took a deep breath, reaching inside for his magic, specifically the lightning magic he had absorbed from around the last Haven, he drew it forth very slowly, just a tiny amount, and worked to guide it to the port, instead of the normal magic flask. He grit his teeth, sweat pouring off of him as he struggled to control it, he wanted a small, steady charge and not a quick jolt. He didn’t know if it would work, elemental magic was not a power cord, but did Magitek take normal electricity anyway? He felt the armour jolt slightly.

“Easy, it’s okay, I’m just trying to give you energy, hope you can tell me when to stop,” he rambled, watching as armoured joints shifted slightly, starting at the feet and working their way up. It jerked harder when the area of damaged armour was reached and then the helmet snapped up, the eyes glowing brightly.

“Unit 05953234 awaiting orders,” it stated, startling Noctis into releasing his hold on the magic. The voice still kind of buzzed but it was a machine, at least its words were understandable now.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It suddenly jolted back into operation, able to feel its armour once again, helmet snapping up as everything came back online. “Unit 05953234 awaiting orders,” it stated immediately, anything else would receive a reprimand. It took a few seconds longer for it to remember what had happened and it turned its head to find the Lucian still crouching beside it, body tensed in what trainers referred to as ‘fight or flight’. Now that its cognitive capabilities were further online it recognised the Lucian, it was a target. But targets destroyed units, they did not repair them, so was he not a target anymore? “Clarification required,” it said, needing orders.

“About what?”

“Lucian identified as target, Prince Noctis. Targets destroy units. You have repaired this unit. For what purpose?”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis was shocked, he’d never heard a MT speak and yet this one clearly could, if stiffly. And it wanted to know why he’d helped it; he didn’t even know! “I don’t really know. I just…I couldn’t just sit here and watch you die. You asked for my help, I’ve never heard one of you talk before.”

“Vocal communication is deemed unnecessary.” It shifted and then froze and Noctis swore as he saw more black fluid leak onto the armour.

Normally he’d put pressure on a wound but touching that stuff would burn his skin, he knew that from previous experience when he’d been knocked down with an MT and had landed on where it had been sliced open, even as it had been vanishing some of the black fluid had gotten on his hands and it had taken a potion to heal. “Can you fix that?” he asked. “I know that stuff will burn my hands if I try and I’m low on curatives.” He’d give the MT one if it wasn’t a machine, then again that would make the black its blood and he doubted even an elixir would work on that. It may even do more damage if they really were something to do with the Scourge.

“Negative, armour requires maintenance. Homing beacon is disabled. Squadron was destroyed or already retrieved. No search for this unit will be made.”

The words were mechanical, so it had to be him attaching emotion to them and yet, he’d swear it sounded resigned to just doing the MT version of bleeding out. He glanced around and saw the drag marks now that he was looking. “You dragged yourself in here.”

“Affirmative, armour is compromised and therefore sunlight deadly.”

Noctis reached into the armiger and brought out one of the repair kits they’d taken to carrying since they did occasionally run into people who had broken down on the road. “Don’t know if anything in here can help?”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

05953234 studied the revealed tools. It still did not understand the Lucian’s reasons for rendering aide. Did he hope to learn information on the Empire from it? It had been taught about the targets abilities as had all units, but it had never seen a human pull something out of nowhere like that before. “For external repairs, internal repairs still require outside assistance.” It studied the Prince, a title it did not fully understand.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“I’m sorry,” if he’d known, would he have tried to give it power? It had seemed a rather gentle death, now it was doing the equivalent of bleeding to death all over the grass. This was crazy! What was wrong with him? He should just kill it and get back to the others, the sun was getting dangerously low in the sky now, it was already getting dark in the trees and he switched his light on, aiming it away from crimson optics.

“Night is dangerous for humans, you should leave,” it told him and Noctis stared at it, torn.

“Does a Haven affect you badly?” he asked, and the MT seemed to stare through him.

“Negative,” it finally answered.

“Right then.” Noctis got a towel from the Armiger and pressed it into the wound and then stood. “If I help, can you walk?”

“Unknown.”

“Okay, let’s give it a go,” he reached down and got his hands under its arms. “Push up as I lift.” He braced himself and then pulled as gently as he could, feeling it push. It took some work but soon the MT was on its feet. It was very awkward, and his back was aching, but they made it and he settled the MT down before getting out his phone. “I just need to call the others and let them know I’m at a Haven for the night,” he told it, with the fluid it was losing, it wouldn’t last the night and he could at least be there, to let it know it wasn’t alone. That was something no one should ever do, it was something Cor and Clarus had taught him, that if you could, you made sure no one died alone. It may not be a person, but it could speak and think and that was enough. He dialled Ignis’ phone and it was picked up very quickly.

_“Highness?”_ Ignis’ voice was tight, and he winced at having worried him.

“I’m fine Specs. It’s too dark to make it back but I’m at a Haven.”

_“Gladio made it back several minutes ago, we were becoming concerned.”_

“Sorry, and no luck on the mushrooms either.”

_“That is fine, so long as you are safe.”_

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

_“We shall place your gear into the Armiger so that you won’t be sleeping too roughly.”_

“Thanks. Don’t spend all night worrying about me, you’re the driver.”

_“I shall try,”_ was the dry answer and then they hung up.

Noctis waited a few minutes before retrieving his bag, sleeping gear and the tarp. “Back in a second,” he warned, dropping off the Haven to collect some wood and two sticks. He then built up the fire and strung the tarp between the sticks to give them some cover before setting up the sleeping bag, but he lay the mat that usually went under it next to it and shifted the quiet MT onto it. “It’s not much but it beats solid rock.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

05953234 was still confused by the Prince’s actions, especially when he gave up part of his sleeping equipment for it. It knew it would fail to function before the dawn, even with the material wedged in stemming the flow, it was losing too much fluid. Even if it was returned to base it would likely be decommissioned and recycled rather than waste resources on repairing such a damaged unit. Then maybe, regulations did not matter? It slowly reached for the tool kit, fingers running over them even as it felt the Prince focus on it, it understood why, these could be used as weapons with an MT’s greater strength. It found one that might work but hesitated. It did not want to be reprimanded, but there was no one here to reprimand it except the enemy. But he did not act like an enemy. The superiors told them of the evil Lucians but this one did not seem evil to it. It had always been faulty so perhaps it simply did not understand? If it was to terminate then it would do so with one last second of freedom.

It took the tool in its hand and raised them to its helmet, seeking out the seal.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis couldn’t help tensing slightly when the MT began looking the tools over, was it going to try to kill him with a screwdriver or something? It looked them all over before choosing one and then it shocked him by lifting the tool to its own helmet….no, where the mask and the rest of the helmet were fused into one. It wedged the tool in and began trying to pry them apart and Noctis swallowed. Part of him had always been curious as to what lay underneath but when they died they vanished in black smoke and sparks, there was nothing inside the armour. Even if he didn’t land a kill shot, so long as it was daytime, they were destroyed by the sunlight. So what was under there? He wasn’t sure he wanted to know anymore but…if this thing was dying, could he blame it for wanting to die with that heavy helmet off?

Noctis slowly moved closer and held his hand out. “Here, I can get better leverage,” he offered, and it stared at him with crimson eyes and then slowly handed the tool over. It was weird, but he didn’t find those eyes so creepy now. He felt along the mask and helmet, feeling for a seam that he could work at. “Here?” he asked, thinking he had it.

“Yes,” it answered quietly.

“Okay, let me know if it hurts or something or you want me to stop,” he told it and then went to work, lodging the tool in as deep as he could get it before throwing his full weight behind it, the tools were strong since they came through Cid, but who knew how firmly the two parts were fused together. It seemed to take forever just to get it to where the tool could slip in deeper, though he was worried about it hitting whatever was below the helmet, the MT never made a sound. He braced his feet and pulled back since it was easier than pushing. He worked and worked, feeling sweat once again soaking his clothes and then he tumbled back onto the stone as with a loud crack, the seal came apart. He blinked up as the MT reached up to pull the two pieces further apart and then the mask was off and all Noctis could do was stare in horrified shock.

_TBC…_


	2. ch2

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 2**

Noctis stared up at the MT in shock and horror…except it wasn’t empty at all. His eyes roamed, taking it all in even as he struggled to understand. There was a person stuffed in the armour, a boy no older than he was with too pale skin and freckles! His eyes were odd, not the crimson the mask showed the world, but they weren’t a normal colour either, a purply blue colour that was almost edging towards red. His lips were badly chapped, his hair almost shaved off, but it looked blonde. His skin was way too pale, due to the armour or something else? He could see the veins under his skin, and they were not quite right looking too. “You’re human,” finally came out in a hoarse whisper and the boy tilted his head slightly.

“Negative, units are not human,” he answered, and his voice was softer without the mask, though there was still a slight buzz to his words.

“How does the armour come off?” if he could get to the wound maybe he could do something about it.

“Units are removed for maintenance every six months. Armour is not designed for removal in the field.”

Noctis grimaced, how could anyone lock people inside armour for half a year? “How do you eat or drink?” or anything else but he wasn’t going to ask that!

“Sustenance is provided through the correct port. Hydration tank emptied at least thirty hours ago.”

Noctis winced and summoned a bottle of water from his Armiger, no wonder his lips were chapped like that. He has dehydrated on top of losing…blood. “Do you know how to swallow?”

“Affirmative, oral hydration and sustenance is only stopped when sealed into the armour.”

“Okay, sip slowly,” he warned, holding the bottle to his lips and the MT sipped slowly at the liquid, obviously wanting to gulp it down but knowing better. “If we can get you out of this stuff, I might be able to do something for your injuries,” he offered.

“Why? The unit will terminate with the sun rise without the helmet.”

“You’re not a unit, you’re a person and I want to help you. We never knew where MT’s came from or we would have done things differently,” he tried to explain. “What’s your name?”

“Unit number 05953234,” was the answer and Noctis grimaced.

“That’s not a name,” he told him, studying the armour. “Is there an order this goes on and off?” The boy pointed to the various pieces, looking exhausted and Noctis called out a granola bar from his Armiger. He broke off a tiny piece and pressed it to his lips which parted. “You’re not used to solid food if you’ve been fed through a…port, but you need nutrients to help combat the uh, blood loss. I’ve broken off a tiny piece so you should be able to just swallow it. We’ll wait a few minutes, then give more water, then more food, okay?” his question got a tired nod and he knew he had to get the armour off fast to stop the bleeding, if he could. If he was tied into the armour, maybe it was the armour leaking fluid and not him bleeding cause who bled black? He summoned a dagger and wedged it into the first seem, working backwards form the order the kid had shown him. “So, how old are you?” he asked to keep him focused and hopefully conscious. Even if there was nothing he could do, no one should die locked up in magitek armour.

“This unit was produced in M.E. 735.”

“That’s the same year I was born,” Noctis offered as he pried a piece of armour off, the most important part was getting to the armour over his torso. He barely made a sound as Noctis pulled off the first piece and then tried not to be sick as he realised the other was covered in ‘ports’ that the armour locked into. “Sorry,” he whispered.

“This unit…” his head sagged and Noctis gently tipped it back up, stroking cold, clammy skin, feeling the other jolt at his touch before ever so hesitantly leaning in. He had to be so touch starved but was it safe to touch him? Too late now.

“Come on, stay with me,” he whispered and tired eyes fluttered open. “Try and eat a little more,” he urged. “Any stomach cramps?” that got a tired headshake, so he gave him some more of the bar and some water to help soften it all up in his stomach. He figured he couldn’t give him much more or he’d be sick, but his body desperately needed the nutrition. His fingers searched for a seam and then he wedged the dagger in. “This is the main piece,” he warned and got a weak nod. He took a deep breath and began to pull. A tortured groan came from the blonde, he didn’t even have the strength to scream as the armour began to pull away from his body. Noctis was ready when the pressure began to give, managing not to fall as the armour cracked. He pulled the two pieces apart the rest of the way with his hands, avoiding the black fluid caked on it. The boy gasped, as his whole body jerked with the armour, teeth gritted in pain and Noctis panted. “Almost….” And then he staggered back, chest piece in his hands. He dropped it and moved in to look for the wound.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

05953234 was too tired to scream as the armour ripped free of its body, panting as it stared up at the Prince, struggling to stay awake. Now the process had begun, it wanted to be free of the armour fully before it terminated. It should be punished for thinking such a thing, but it had always been slow to learn compared to its squamates. It felt strange in the stomach, from the food meant for people? The Prince seemed to think it was a person which was odd, he should not waste food on a unit and a damaged one at that, but he hadn’t even hesitated. It felt good to have water in its body again at least. It fought to keep its eyes open, watching as the Prince searched for the damage. “Lower left side,” it whispered and then it saw the pinched look on the Prince’s face as he found it.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He’d been gored by something with horns or tusks, that was immediately obvious once he found the wound. The slick black bodysuit had made it hard to spot at first but now he could see the difference in material where blood had soaked in. if his internal organs were damaged there was nothing he could do, he only knew basic first aid, Ignis was better but internal organs were beyond him too, other than applying curatives. Seeing the blackness of his blood, though not as bad as what had been on the armour, he donned a pair of gloves from the Armiger to protect his skin and looked over what he had, bandages, water warmed by the fire, antiseptic, stitching thread and needle…would it be enough? Could he risk trying a potion? “This is going to hurt but you need to try and stay still, okay? I need to see how badly you’re hurt.”

“Understood,” was the whispered answer.

Noctis took a deep breath and gently peeled the bodysuit away from the wound, having to use a dagger to cut the material. He wet a towel and gently cleaned the are so he could see. The skin was mottled with bruising, unsurprising. “Did you see what did this?”

“Behemoth.”

Ouch. Without his armour he probably would have been killed instantly, the metal had saved his life…or at least prolonged it. He gently pressed down around the wound, feeling for anything too squishy. He used the water and antiseptic to flush it, knowing that debris would cause infection. “Why is you blood almost black?”

“Units undergo daemonification. This unit will likely complete the process in the next three years unless terminated.”

Noctis froze….the Empire was turning people into daemons? How? Why? “Am I at risk?” he asked.

“Negative, only…full daemons can infect…” he hissed and Noctis apologised softly.

He was lucky, there were less vital organs on the lower left, and he was pretty sure it had missed his kidney and spleen. He actually had to slip a finger into the wound to feel around, very carefully to avoid further damage. There…yeah, something had definitely been hit though. “Something’s been nicked at least. I don’t think a potion would be good for you with the black stuff…but without one you’re going to die. I can try applying it directly to the areas I can feel the damage in and hope it heals it.” He looked into tired eyes, saw the resignation in them, but someone who had totally given up wouldn’t have dragged themselves who knew how far to try and be safe. He didn’t know how they’d deal with daylight should he survive, but Noctis wanted to give him the chance to live, if he wanted it. Finally he nodded hesitantly and Noctis reached out to gently squeeze his hand before opening a potion. He soaked his gloved fingers and then reached into the wound, feeling him tense.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It fought to remain still as potion soaked gloved fingers pressed into the wound. It hurt! It had had worse before, it could handle the pain…it could. It didn’t want to terminate, not yet. It felt a strange tingling in its body and gasped, panting for air, it felt so strange… hands scrambled for something to hold onto and then hands were gripping its.

“Just breath, keep breathing,” the Prince called to it and it struggled to obey. It forced its eyes open to stare into midnight blue, unable to look away despite knowing people found its eye colour disturbing. The Prince’s lips twitched into a small smile, “That’s it,” he praised the unit! “Stay with me.”

It wanted to obey; it thought the Prince would be a kind superior. He would not discard a unit for small damage. If it could choose, it thought it would follow him, but MT’s did not get to choose. What would happen to it if it did not terminate? Returning to base meant punishment and it may be decommissioned for allowing itself to be removed from the armour and not attempting to destroy the enemy.

It felt heat build inside it and its hands clenched on the Prince’s even as a whimper of pain slipped free, body jerking.

“Scream if you want,” the Prince whispered, helping it lie on the material he had set out earlier for himself. It hadn’t laid on anything so soft since it had slept in the dormitories before being placed in armour. Then a damp cloth wiped over its face and down its neck to where the bodysuit began. “How’s the pain?”

“Unit is able to function,” it had functioned with worse and it thought the burn may be fading.

“Do you think it’s healing or…”

The unit considered what it could feel while there was pain…it no longer felt quite as damaged. It told the Prince who nodded.

“Okay, if you’re sure, I’ll stitch the skin closed. I don’t want to use more potion than needed to heal the life threatening parts.”

It nodded in understanding, the better healing supplies should be kept for people, it had been stitched before. “Units heal quickly,” it assured him, he seemed upset and that was never safe for a nearby unit with superiors, though…maybe he would be different?

“So, what was your group doing out here? We haven’t spotted any ships,” the Prince asked, and it hesitated.

Giving out mission information was grounds for termination. Not answering could lead to termination as well. The mission had not been sensitive… “Clearing the area of dangerous beasts to ensure safety of residents and imperial forces.”

“So not hunting us.”

“Negative. Orders are to engage if found.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“I fix you up, are you going to attack me?” Noctis asked quietly as he stitched torn skin as gently as possible. He didn’t think that even with quick feeling he’d be strong enough to attack anyone for a while. He glanced up to find him watching him work and there was something in those strange eyes…..curiosity? Maybe…longing? Confusion…such a mish mash of emotion yet his face was fairly blank. Calling him MT…empty…it was wrong. He wasn’t empty, his eyes showed his emotions, but he didn’t seem to know how to express them and Noctis had the feeling expression was not something that was encouraged.

“Negative,” he whispered and Noctis smiled at him.

“Good, okay stitches are done,” he washed them down with more antiseptic and then hesitated. “Let’s get the rest of this armour off and then get you cleaned up and into actual clothes, there’s not much difference in our sizes.”

“Why?” he sounded tired but Noct knew that being cleaner and in warm clothing would help him feel better and he told him that before yawning. “There is approximately seven hours before the sun rises and this unit terminates.”

Like a daemon… “But you’re not a daemon.”

“Not fully, not yet,” he agreed. “Infection level is still lethal when exposed to light.”

Was that true or just something the Empire told them? “Do is need to be something like armour or can you just cover up in clothing?” and that seemed to stump him. Noctis went to work removing the armour from his arms and legs before cutting the suit off. Some of the ports needed bandaging to stop the bleeding after the armour was pulled free but overall he was only worried about the side wound. He then used the water to wash him down, removing the drying blood and sweat. By the time Noctis had dug out long pants, a long sleeved t-shirt and hooded sweatshirt as well as socks and gloves that weren’t in need of a wash the poor guy was almost asleep. He got him dressed, trying not to stare at anything. He then pressed some more water and granola bar on him before covering him with a blanket as he passed out.

Noctis quietly cleaned up, making sure he was clean as well before slumping in front of the fire. What the hell was he doing? The others were going to kill him! he glanced at his phone, knowing Ignis would have left his on, especially since they were separated. Should he call and try to explain? He knew they’d be up and on the move as soon as it was safe. It wasn’t like he could try and pass the guy off as someone he’d found wounded, even if he got rid of the armour there was his eye colour and sun issue. He hated not knowing what to do but it had happened a lot since they’d left Insomnia. Had his Dad known what was inside the armours his men slaughtered? He cooked a can of soup and ate it quietly. He was not going to risk sleeping tonight, the last thing he wanted was to sleep in and get the guy killed by the rising sun. in the end he dialled Ignis’ number, unsurprised when he picked up on the third ring.

_“Highness?”_ he didn’t sound very sleepy either, how did he do it?

“I did something you’re not going to like.”

_“Are you injured?”_

“No, I’m fine,” he promised. How was he going to explain this?

_TBC…_


	3. ch3

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 3**

Ignis rode through the early morning, his Chocobo running at top speed. It was still dark, not a safe time to travel, but Noctis said they needed to come before sunrise. He was still struggling to understand what their Prince had done and a glance at Gladio showed a face locked in anger. What had possessed him to help an MT? He had sworn he was safe, that they needed to see the truth…what truth? What horror of the Empire had Noctis discovered? He was never letting him out of his sight again! They slowed as they approached the Haven, silently dismounting to move in and he spotted Noctis sitting beside the fire. Hearing them he stood up and Ignis quickly scanned him for injuries, but he didn’t appear to have any, thankfully.

“Where is it?” Gladio snarled, sword in hand and Noctis stiffened.

“Put your sword away,” he demanded coolly.

Ignis found himself straightening at his tone. Sometimes, it was easy to forget that their friend Noct was also Noctis Lucis Caelum, now King of Lucis. He saw the lean-to made out of tarp and he knew where it was, put he would not challenge Noctis right now, someone needed to keep a cool head. “Gladio, put it away, Noctis is unharmed and I doubt it will attack now that there are three of us. Noctis, Gladio is concerned for your safety as he should be. Now, let us try and approach things calmly, shall we?” he stared at them both sternly. Gladio glared but let his blade return to the Armiger.

Noctis eyed Gladio before pulling the tent from the Armiger and moving to set it up towards the back of the Haven, closest to the overhang of the trees. Ignis looked at Gladio who hesitated but went to help. Ignis looked around, seeing the remains of food beside the fire so at least Noctis had eaten even if he hadn’t slept. Firelight gleamed off something and he moved closer, startled to see pieces of MT armour in a pile. He heard a noise from under the tarp and approached slowly, kneeling down to find a lump in Noct’s sleeping bag. He could just see the top of the occupants head, hair shorn short. Hair….why would a machine have hair?

“Back up Iggy, don’t want to crowd him,” Noctis called, voice wary and Ignis moved back to watch as Noctis sat down beside the sleeping bag. “Hey, can you wake up for me,” he whispered softly, and the lump shifted slightly before a head emerged.

Ignis took in the all too human features, horror sinking in as he looked over at the dismantled armour. The boy,…and he was a boy, looked no older than Noctis, his skin far too pale and covered in freckles, visible even in the low light of their clip on lights and the fire. He blinked dazedly and Ignis focused on his eyes, stiffening slightly as he took in the strange colour. It tried to sit up and failed and Noctis caught it. “Easy, you’re hurt still.”

It blinked and the saw them standing around and if Ignis were to ascribe an emotion to its expression to would be resignation, maybe acceptance. “Is the unit to be terminated now?”

Ignis stared in shock, not sure if it was over the question, the way the boy referred to himself, or the odd buzz to his voice. A quick glance at Gladio showed he was surprised as well.

“What? No! No one is terminating you,” Noctis quickly cut in. “We’ve got the tent up, with the tarp over it too, it will block out the sun when it rises, though it will be warm during the day.”

It…he looked between them and while his face was rather blank, his eyes weren’t once he got past the colour, he could see the emotion in them. The boy seemed confused by Noctis, but surprisingly placid. He was an MT? His existence raised a lot of questions regarding Niflheim’s army.

“Iggy, give me a hand? I had to stitch him on the left and I don’t want them to pull.”

Ignis looked from his King to the boy and nodded. “Of course,” he moved in slowly and knelt on his left while Noctis moved to the right. “Can you put your arm over Noctis’ shoulder? Don’t move your left side, I will do the lifting,” he told the boy who stared at him before nodding.

“Understood.” He slowly put his arm over Noctis’ shoulder while they both wrapped an arm around a skinny waist.

“On three,” Noctis called. “One….two…three,” on three they stood slowly, taking the boys weight and Ignis was concerned by how light he was.

“Gladio get the bedding please,” Ignis told him and the Shield hesitated but gathered it up and went to put it in the tent. “I hate to ask an uncomfortable question, but do you need to relieve yourself while we have you up?”

“Query, relieve?”

The question had Noctis’ cheeks going pink even as Ignis frowned. “Do you need to empty your bladder? You’ve had a bit of water, though you were dehydrated so your body may not have let any go to waste,” Noctis explained and Ignis listened, it appeared they would have to be rather scientific about the boy’s body at least. A way to dehumanise them?

“Negative,” he murmured, obviously worn out just from standing, even with them taking his weight. He was buried in clothing that covered as much skin as possible and he was still too skinny.

Ever so slowly they walked across the uneven stone until the got to the tent where the knelt and lay him down, lifting him up by his shoulders and legs to crawl in with him. Noctis then stripped some layers off him before settling him back in the sleeping bag. “Think you can eat a little?” he asked, and the boy nodded. Noctis pulled out a partially eaten granola bar and broke off tiny bits, giving him a piece and then water with large breaks in between.

Ignis approved of how Noctis had dealt with feeding him, he got the feeling he didn’t want to know how he had eaten inside the armour. He mentally went over their supplies and his recipes for nutritious yet easily digested meals, soups and broths would be best…should he survive the sunrise. Between his eye colour, voice and the darkness of the few veins Ignis could see, it was obvious he had been altered but how much? Once he’d eaten and drunk, they got him fully lying down and Ignis met his eyes. “May I check on your wound?” the boy blinked drowsily but nodded so Ignis carefully lifted the shirt and unwound the bandages. “A good stitching job considering the circumstances,” he praised Noctis’ work. “How bad was it?”

“He was gored by a behemoth; the armour saved his life but…there was internal damage. I would have used a hi-potion or elixir but his blood isn’t normal so I was worried it would do more damage. I ended up applying a bit directly to what felt like damaged organs before stitching him up.”

“A wise precaution,” Ignis agreed as he pulled out the kit he carried to apply more antiseptic before rewrapping the wound. “So far there does not appear to be any internal bleeding or infection,” he assured them both.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio hung back, watching them. He watched as wariness gave way to concern and he could see why. The MT looked like a person and since when could they speak? It looked like a hurt, too skinny kid but the way it spoke was just plain creepy. He wouldn’t let that affect him though, if Ignis was falling for the hurt kid ploy then he had to stay strong. It was an MT and therefore a threat. Noctis should have put it out of its misery and theirs when he found it, not tried to fix it. They were wasting precious time on caring for the enemy rather than hunting for Gil or taking out another base or even finding another Tomb. This thing could be a trap or anything.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“Sun’s coming up,” Noctis commented as the MT drowsed between them, obviously trying to stay awake but his battered body was demanding sleep. They had the Mt at the back of the tent, away from the opening, in the darkest area.

“Indeed,” Ignis turned to pull the tarp lower and zipped the tent shut, leaving them to wait as the inside of the tent began to lighten.

Noctis looked down to find the MT’s eyes wide open now, seeing the fear in them and he gently took his hands. “I’m right here,” he murmured. “You’re not alone,” he tried to offer comfort. He might be the last thing the other ever saw and he hated the idea, but they’d done all they could.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Would Noctis ever stop amazing him? Gone was the socially awkward Prince and in his place was a young man determined to care for another. Oh, he knew his Prince was not cold or arrogant as many claimed, they didn’t realise that most of the time Noctis was nervous around others, but he had trouble showing what he felt. Take his goodbyes with his Father as an example. Yet here he was, comforting a possibly dying enemy soldier. He wished everyone could truly see Noct for all of who he was. As the light level increased he could see that the boys skin was far too pale due to the lack of sunlight, something that could not be good for his health.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Hearing the sun was rising gave it the strength to wake up more, finding itself staring up at the Prince, feeling him take its hands in his but the contact didn’t hurt. It wasn’t being reprimanded?

“I’m right here,” the Prince spoke quietly, never breaking eye contact. “You’re not alone.”

Somehow…it felt better? Hearing the Prince say that. It was becoming lighter, letting the unit get its first really good look at the Prince, he was so different to any other human it had been exposed to. It felt its respiration increasing with the light but could not slow it down though it did try.

“Are you in pain?” one of the newcomers asked and it looked over…Ignis Scientia, Adviser to the Prince, another target.

“Negative,” it got out and then one of its hands was freed, the Prince’s hand moving to rub at its chest, and it did help some. The light increased and it narrowed its eyes, unused to light unfiltered by its helmet.

“That’s it, just breathe,” the Prince encouraged. “It must be direct sunlight on skin that’s dangerous.”

“How do you know it’s dangerous?” Scientia asked.

“The scientists informed the units fourteen years post production and provided a demonstration.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Yeah…that made Noctis feel sick cause he could think of only one way to demonstrate. “He’s my age Specs which means he’s been away from sunlight for at least six years,” he filled Ignis in, seeing his expression tighten in anger at the MT’s expense. If he survived his wounds, if they could work out how to keep him alive, he’d need a name, not that number Niflheim had slapped on him…then again, if he wasn’t going to live he should die with a name too. “You need a name, not that number the Empire gave you,” Noctis told the other boy as he looked back down at him, seeing that with the lack of pain, exhaustion was winning again.

“Humans….have names.”

“Yeah, we do,” he reached for the bowl of water he’d put in the tent before moving him in and wet a cloth, gently wiping the sweat of fear from his face. The MT slowly went limp, fast asleep and Noctis looked up at Ignis again.

“A number?” Ignis asked and Noctis carefully lifted his right wrist, pulling back the sleeve to reveal the barcode he’d found before which listed the same number the poor guy had given when he’d asked his name.

“He was literally bolted into the armour Ignis, I had to wedge a blade in the seams, and I haven’t laid down since cause I know my backs going to totally seize if I do,” he admitted. “There are metal….ports down his body that fit in the armour…he’s only let out of it every six months for ‘maintenance’. He’s fed and given water through the things too. He’d been without water for thirty hours when I found him,” he whispered, though he doubted talking would be enough to wake him. “We have to stop them Ignis. They…they purposely infect them with the Scourge to daemonfy them.”

“What? Noctis get away.”

“He’s not contagious, besides if he was, it’s way too late. I literally had my hand in his side.” He left out that he’d been wearing gloves.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio listened from outside, not like the tent did much to muffle sound, even with the tarp over it. When they fell silent he walked over to the pile of armour and dug out the chest piece, turning it over to find rods of metal along it…blood on them….no wonder Noct was so defensive. He hated the Empire but to hear what they were doing to their own soldiers….and he hated to think it but…they had to start young. If it was the same age as Noctis, had been told about sunlight at fourteen, he had the feeling the kid had been taken as a toddler, if not a baby. It made it hard to keep his anger at MT’s…they literally didn’t know any better, they were raised to be canon fodder. It was just another reason to bring the Empire down.

His big concern at the moment was what they were going to do with the young MT cause he wasn’t going to be allowed to kill it and…he didn’t think he wanted to now, not unless it threatened them and right now it was as threatening as a kitten. They couldn’t take it with them, even if it could travel in daylight it would need proper medical and mental help. Problem was, who could they trust with such things these days?

One thing was certain, he was never letting Noctis look for ingredients alone again, who knew what he’d come back with next!

_TBC…._


	4. ch4

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 4**

Ignis gently checked the bandages on the sleeping boy, thankful no blood had seeped through. Though he wondered if it was unconsciousness and not sleep that left a soldier so utterly unaware when being checked over. He was still mad at Noctis over the chances he had taken and all to help the enemy and yet…how could he blame him? looking at the blonde it was hard to see anything more than a wounded young man, the same age as Noctis, one who had been tortured and experimented on. It was too dangerous to travel at night and yet the boy could not travel during the day. He supposed they could put the boy in the trunk of the Regalia but that would be stifling hot, with little air and who knew what it would do to his wound. It was too risky to remain in the area another night, especially since he presence showed that the Empire was nearby. They needed to get somewhere they could defend and hide while deciding what to do. The Chocobo outpost wasn’t too far, but the caravan was too close to effectively hide an injured person within.

So far, remaining covered in the tent was protecting him, but would that last through the middle of the day when the sun was at its most powerful? Was there any way to heal him or would he be doomed to living trapped in the night? Would he continue to daemonfy even without further imperial interference? Had they doomed him to a slower kind of death by sparing his life and healing his wounds? There were too many questions and not enough answers.

The boy stirred weakly and Ignis glanced over at where Noctis was lying, fast asleep thanks to his medication. Sure enough, his back had not been happy at all when he had finally relaxed and tried to lie down, he would be out for several hours, but he could use the sleep after staying up all night with their patient. Oddly coloured eyes opened slightly but didn’t seem to focus on anything and Ignis checked his skin for any signs of fever. “Shh, it’s alright, you’re safe,” he whispered, running a cool cloth over his face. “Go back to sleep.” The boy slowly relaxed fully again, eyes sliding shut and Ignis pushed his glasses up, feeling a slight headache building, likely due to the stuffiness in the tent.

“Ignis?”

“Yes Gladio?”

“Want some food?”

“That would be marvellous, thank you.”

“No problem, how’s the Princess?”

“Asleep, thanks to the medication. We may have to remain here another night, give him a chance to recover.”

“Yeah, I’ll head back to the car, bring it closer and pick some more supplies up.” He left and Ignis stretched out stiff muscles before the zipper came up an inch and a plate was pushed through as well as some bottled water and juice. “How’s the MT?”

“Sleeping. Infection and blood loss are the main dangers at the moment, other than the sun obviously. Once you return with supplies I will begin a broth, he should be able to keep that down and it will provide much needed nutrients.”

“Sure thing, be back soon.”

He heard Gladio move away from the Haven and picked up the sandwich to eat, finding he was rather hungry. When he was done he checked on Noctis who was still deeply asleep, all signs of pain gone. He then went back to the boy and found him stirring again. He placed a hand on his forehead and felt him tense. “Easy, you’re safe,” he murmured and slowly the boys eyes fluttered open, seeming more aware this time.

“Un..it…0595…32..34….await….orders,” he slurred out and Ignis hushed him.

“I’m going to help you sit up a bit, I have some juice for you to drink,” he explained, and the boy blinked dazedly at him. “Do you understand?” that got a slight nod and he smiled. “Very good,” with that he got his arms under the boy and as gently as possible levered hm up against his own chest, keeping him reclined to avoid pressure on the wound. He grabbed the juice and opened it. “I hope you don’t mind the flavour,” he gently pressed the bottle to the boys lips. “Sip slowly,” Ignis reminded him. “Very good,” he praised softly as the boy sipped very slowly at the liquid. He doubted very much that the Empire praised MT’s for anything, not with how they were used like easily replaceable machines. The juice would get some much needed sugars into his system, if they had the equipment then he would set up intravenous fluids, but they didn’t carry such things with them, and the boy may panic at seeing them even if they did. With what he had seen of the armour, with what Noctis had learnt from the boy, it was likely anything medical would cause fear.

“W..why?” the boy mumbled and Ignis put the half empty bottle aside, holding him gently, running his fingers through stubbly hair.

“Why what?” he asked softly, and purple-blue eyes focused on him, the fear in them obvious. “It’s alright, I won’t hurt you, especially over asking questions,” he smiled gently. He knew though, there was a chance he would break that promise one day, if they healed the boy and he proved unstable or violent then he may need to be stopped. Ignis hoped that wasn’t the case, that he could be rehabilitated because then that would mean they could hopefully do the same for many of his fellows once the Empire was dealt with.

“Why not terminate? Enemies,” he was obviously struggling to remain awake.

“You are just a boy and injured, we do not have to be enemies,” Ignis tried to explain. “We did not know, we believed MT’s were machines. You are not a machine. What has been done to you is wrong.”

The boy shook his head weakly and then clumsy fingers grabbed at the hand on his chest, tugging and Ignis let him pull his hand away and under the sleeping bag and clothing. The boys skin was still a bit cool to the touch and then he blinked…that wasn’t skin. Of course, Noctis had mentioned ‘ports’. The boy was tense, waiting for pain, so Ignis was ever so gentle as he let his fingers slowly skim over his chest and sides. He struggled to keep the horror off his face as he felt old scars and metal. “Not human.”

Ignis carefully shifted the boy over in the bag and kicked his shoes off, slipping into the bag and then he gently pulled the boy into his arms, seeing confusion and wariness in his eyes. “Sharing body heat to try and warm you up,” he explained softly. The boy glanced around, frowning. “Noctis is asleep behind me,” he figured the boy was looking for him and it made sense, Noctis had been the one to spare him, to help him first. “I checked your wound, there is no sign of infection, yet which is good. Once Gladio returns with more supplies I shall make a broth for you to help you adapt to food. For now, you need to rest as much as you can.”

“Why?” the question was thick, like the boy was trying not to cry.

“What has been done to you is wrong and if we can help you then we will. You are human, no matter what was done to you or you were told,” Ignis tried to reassure him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The unit was so confused, nothing the Adviser was saying made sense and then he got in the warm bag with it! Didn’t he understand what it was? It was a unit, a daemon infested machine, not a person. The fluid it had been given was different to water, but it had tasted…nice? Nothing like it had been given ever before. there was a hand on its head, and it had waited for pain, but all the long fingers did was stroke and it made the unit feel warm. Did they want the unit so they could learn more about MT’s? surely it would be better to terminate it and then take it apart to do that? Unless they wanted it in good condition to ensure accurate results? It thought that they might at least be gentle about it, unlike the scientists. Scientia had been correct; it was feeling warmer now that he was in the bag with it. It slowly brought its hand up, waiting to be hit or told to stop but nothing happened as it slowly wrapped its fingers in his shirt, it’s ear pressed to the man’s chest, hearing the steady beat of his heart, the beat was not racing with fear. How could he let it so close, because it was damaged? Did he believe the unit was not a threat? Unfortunately, he was likely correct, it felt strangely weak, more so than damage should account for.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis remained still as he felt weak fingers curl into his shirt before he shifted a little to wrap his arm around the boys back, rubbing soothing circles there, ignoring the feel of hard metal under his fingers when they brushed across some. It was good, that he was seeking some form of comfort, if they had utterly broken the boys spirit then he doubted he would do such a thing. “Warmer?” he asked after a while.

“Yes sir,” exhaustion was plain to hear in his voice.

“It’s alright, go back to sleep,” he offered, keeping up the soothing touches and he felt the boy slowly go limp in his hold, the hand in his shirt dropping away.

Ignis closed his eyes and let his mind drift, was he crazy? This was the enemy and he was holding him like he had Noctis a handful of times when they were both young and Noct had been ill. But this was not his Prince, this boy was the enemy, though injured, weak and confused. With no knowledge of how fast he may recover, if he was capable of recovering at all, being this close was dangerous. Should he doze off himself, he may wake to a recovered MT killing him, if he woke at all. Yet there was something almost…innocent about the boy. He wanted Noctis to be right, that he wasn’t a threat. Perhaps it was good that Gladio was keeping his distance, if something had to be done then one of them would be able to do it without hesitating.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio finished filling the Regalia’s tank before heading inside to shop. He grabbed the most nutritious foods he could as well as more curatives and extra bedding. There were a few people around, hunters and civilians so he began asking cautious questions, being more open with the hunters. He asked about troops movements, monsters in the area, safe places beyond Havens and in the end he had what he hoped would be a good place. There was a hut, used only by hunters, it was well off the beaten track, but it had a generator and lights for safety because it was too far from any Haven. Sounded like a good place for them to stay for a while. He texted Ignis that he was heading off to check out a possible location before driving away,

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis dug his phone out and checked the message, intrigued by what Gladio may have found. A safe place for them to hide for a while would be nice, they could all use some time in one place to rest. It would make dealing with the boy easier too, they could work on healing him, trying to teach him that there was more to life than being a tool for the Empire…if he survived. He doubted the Empire wanted their soldiers able to desert and survive. He heard a moan and turned his head to see Noctis stirring slightly. Groggy blue eyes opened and Ignis mustered a smile for his young King.

“Specs?” he mumbled.

“Everything is alright Noctis, get some more sleep,” he offered and Noctis blinked at him before frowning.

“Is he…”

“Sleeping, he had some juice earlier and once Gladio returns I shall prepare a nutritious broth. Gladio believes he has found somewhere we can stay in safety for a time as well.”

“Kay,” Noctis closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep, leaving Ignis awake alone.

He slipped from the sleeping bag and went to the wall of the tent, fumbling around until he found the seal, he opened it and gently propped it up a little, letting some fresher air into the tent. The back of the tent was thankfully fully shaded so there was no risk in using it to improve the air flow within. The cooler air helped keep him awake too which was good, he needed to be alert to watch over both sleepers. While Noctis was in pain, he was in no danger, except possibly from the tents other occupant. The boy however needed to be watched closely, not just for their safety but for his health.

It was several hours before Gladio returned, the older man seeming happy with whatever he had found and Ignis went to work on a healthy broth for the boy, turning some of it into a hearty soup for the rest of them, puréeing it to hide the hated vegetables.

,,,,,,,,,

Noctis finally stumbled from the tent as the sun was setting, no longer looking dazed from the strong pain medication. He rarely had to use it anymore but living on the road was not doing his old injuries any good. He slumped down in his chair and Ignis handed up a bowl, watching to make sure he ate since the medication could kill his appetite but apparently the night of watching over the boy had left him hungry even with them. Once they had eaten, Ignis and Noctis went back to the tent, Noct opening it up to allow the fresh night air within while Ignis set the bowl of cooling broth down. Noctis sat down and carefully drew the other boy up from the sleeping bag, running his fingers over a closely shaven head. “Hey, time to wake up,” he called gently.

Ever so slowly he began to stir until he was blinking up at Noctis, disorientated. “Unit 0595…3234 awaiting orders,” he croaked on automatic.

“No orders,” Noctis answered. “Remember where you are?”

The other frowned slightly and it was good to see him express something with more than his eyes. “H…Haven. With Prince Noctis,” he answered after a while and Noctis nodded.

“That’s right. Iggy’s made some really yummy brother for you, okay?”

“Query, broth?”

“A liquid meal if you like, it will take time for you to be able to handle solid food,” Ignis answered. He lifted the bowl and Noctis shifted to make sure he was fully supported and in a good position to drink without choking.

“Just take it nice and slow,” he advised. He knew what it was like, after his injury and coma it had taken time to heal and he’d been on liquids and mush for a while. It took a while, but the kid got through a good portion of the small bowl before it was obviously getting too much for him, though he said nothing. “Still need to come up with a name for you,” Noctis commented.

“Units do not have names,” he answered, sounding drowsy.

“Yeah well, you’re not with the Empire anymore,” Noctis stated firmly and the other boy blinked at him in confusion.

“Do you wish to return to the Empire? What would happen if you did?” Ignis asked, curious.

“This unit will be decommissioned and recycled for too many reprimands.”

“Reprimands?” Noctis asked, hand back in the shorn hair and he hid a smile as he felt the other actually press into his touch slightly without realising it.

“For failing to terminate targets, accepting aid from the enemy, removing the armour without permission,” he licked his lips nervously. “All units must return to base for assessment.”

“But do you want to?” Ignis pressed and Noctis could see the confusion in odd eyes.

“Units obey,” he offered, not sounding entirely sure.

“You’re not a unit, you’re a person,” Noctis spoke up again. “You’re allowed to want things, just like anyone else.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It was so confused; they were nothing like any superior it had ever met. They wanted it to want something? It could remember what that was like, many years ago, when it had wanted things, food, warmth, but that was trained out of them. Wanting something meant punishment. Were they looking for something to punish it for? It had told them what it should be reprimanded for, though not everything. It would have been decommissioned years ago except it was the best shot in its squad.

“Perhaps we should start small,” Scientia suggested, and it focused on him. the man placed a water bottle and another down on the ground. “This is the juice I gave you earlier and this is obviously water. You need some more fluids now, so which would you like? There is no right or wrong answer to this, and you can take your time.”

It looked from him to the Prince, unsure what to do. Such training exercise were used, and they never ended well for the unit. The Prince had said it would not be harmed and it had wanted to believe he spoke truthfully. Perhaps their reprimands would not cause harm? What was the purpose of this?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis could see the confusion and wariness in his eyes and gently squeezed his hand. “It’s okay, I promise. Nothing bad will happen, we won’t get mad or anything.” He really hated the Empire right then for making it so someone couldn’t even do something as simple as choose between water and juice. He gently rubbed his back, feeling some tense muscles relax a little and he was glad. Noct wondered if he even realised how he was reacting to gentle touches but was it surprising? Locked in that armour for months on end, let out only for ‘maintenance’ and he didn’t even want to try and imagine what that might entail, he had to be touch starved to a crazy degree. Well from now on he would learn that touch was good, that it didn’t have to hurt. They would teach him what freedom was and help him learn who he was without the Empire.

If he healed okay, Noct knew there was a chance he wouldn’t, they’d never seen a merely injured MT before, didn’t know what the Empires work would have done to his ability to heal or even immune system. And who knew how messed up in the head he’d be, yeah, he hadn’t tried once to offer any kind of violence, even back in the clearing all he’d done was ask for help, which Noctis now realised was a really, really big deal. Dying had obviously weakened whatever they did to keep him wanting things because he had obviously wanted to live. He knew what Ignis and Gladio had to be worried about, that if he healed, he might become violent, that he was so passive due to his injuries, blood loss and shock. He prayed to the Astrals that wasn’t true, that they could save him because they just had to save someone. He hadn’t been able to save his Dad or anyone back home, he’d been sent away to ‘safety’, they kept finding tags, the hunter who wore them long dead, Luna was far away or dead, they didn’t know which. Yeah, Cor, Monica, Iris, a few others were alive and well but...they’d had nothing to do with it. They’d helped a few stranded motorists and even a hunter or two who needed a potion, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted, needed to save the MT, not just to save someone, but he wanted to save this kid who was the same age as him and couldn’t even choose between juice and water.

“What about a sip of each to refresh your memory?” Noctis offered and Ignis nodded, uncapping the water first to allow the kid to take a sip and then the juice and they both watched closely for a reaction, seeing the brief spark in his eyes at the juice. Noctis practically crossed his fingers at that, he obviously preferred the juice, but could he indicate it in any way?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio listened from outside, closing his eyes. He had been trained hard all his life for his position but the thought of what kind of training could do that to someone…scared the hell out of him. To not be able to even choose a drink, to know he would be killed and yet sound like he would still return to the Empire… It was hard to remain impartial, hearing them, putting the pieces together. The sooner they got to somewhere private and safe the better. The cabin was well hidden and now well stocked, the generators worked and there was a place to hide the Regalia. They would have to drive there with the top up and black out the back windows to keep the MT safe from the sun, carry him the rest of the way in as the sun was setting wrapped in one of the sleeping bags. The sooner he was healed, the quicker they would know if they would have to kill him or if there was a chance of rehabilitating him into an individual. He hoped for Noct’s sake they could, and he didn’t relish the idea of killing the boy himself if things went badly. He would do it though, he would spare Noctis and Ignis that pain. It was his duty and not just because Noctis was his King.

_TBC…_

_Trying to work out why the name Prompto would be chosen, suggestions?_


	5. ch5

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

**Chapter 5**

Ignis glanced into the backseat to see Noct tucked into the corner, the boy laid out on the seat, head against Noctis’ chest, not that he could see the boy. They had covered him with a blanket and tarp to keep him safe from the sunlight, they even had the roof up on the car. It was a relief when they finally reached the cabin and Gladio went inside with him to light proof one of the two bedrooms while Noctis remained in the car with the MT. once they were done Gladio went back to the car to lift the boy out, wrapped carefully and then he rushed him inside. As soon as he was in the room, Ignis helped unwrap him and then laid him on the bed even as Noctis walked in with a new bottle of juice, sitting on the old bed to help him sip some. They hadn’t quite gotten him to verbalise his choice but had read his eyes and body language to help him with the choice of juice.

The boy was pale and sweaty, obviously in pain though he was doing his best to hide it. The drive had been hard on his battered body, but it had been necessary for all of their safety. Ignis went to get some water and cloths and Noctis stripped him off before they went to work cleaning him up again before dressing him in clean clothing, the boy almost asleep as they finished. Noctis lay on top of the blankets beside him and Ignis sighed but said nothing, leaving to get started on lunch.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis sat against the headboard, gently running his fingers through too short blonde hair, feeling the tension slowly draining from the other. “We’re going to stay here,” he murmured, knowing he was still awake. “Once you’re healed we’ll figure out what to do next. So just focus on getting better.” He glanced down to find purple/blue eyes staring at him even as his eyelids drooped, obviously fighting sleep. “It’s okay, you’re safe. I know you’re confused and lost but we’ll look after you,” he promised.

“Do…n….und…r…st..d…” he slurred, eyes fluttering as he struggled to keep them open.

“I know,” and that really sucked. He really hoped he got the chance to express his anger over the MT program to the Emperor personally. He shifted to lie down and wrap an arm around the barely awake MT, smiling sadly when he pressed into his touch weakly. “Just sleep for now, you need your strength.” Noct went back to petting his hair, feeling his body relax as he surrendered to sleep. Noctis looked up as Gladio walked in, his Shield staring at the MT.

“You know there might be no way for him to live as a civilian, right? There’s no guarantee event the Oracle could heal him, even if we could get him to her.”

“I know,” Noctis told him, looking back down at the sleeping boy. “He deserves to be treated like a person, to know what it’s like to be free, even if it isn’t for long.”

Gladio nodded and put Noctis’ bag down without arguing over him staying with the MT.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It couldn’t move, everything was dark, had it been a dream? No, it could feel something soft under it, it wasn’t standing in its storage pod. It forced its eyes open, blinking as it realised there was some light, seeing a small lamp on the other side of the room. It couldn’t move because the Prince was beside it, arms wrapped around its body. It thought it should feel contained, trapped but now that it knew why it couldn’t move…it felt…safe? It could hear the steady beat of the Prince’s heart under its ear and it knew it should act to silence it and yet it couldn’t. If it terminated the Prince then it could return to base, taking out a top target meant promotion. So why couldn’t it obey it’s orders?

It felt something change in the room and then a gloved hand was pressed to its forehead, the Adviser. “Are you awake?” the man whispered.

“Affirmative.”

“You need to eat,” the Lucian told it before moving to remove the Princes arms from around it. “Don’t try to move, let me do the work,” he said and then hands were under it, lifting slowly until its back was against something wooden. Even not moving made its head spin but the hands supported it until it passed. The Advisor then sat, holding a bowl in his hands. “Chicken and vegetable broth, nice and nutritious.” He dipped the…spoon, it thought it was called a spoon, into the bowl and then lifted it out and held it to its lips. It had never tasted anything like it! It was different to the broth given at the Haven, more flavours. “It tastes good?” he asked.

“Yes,” it answered truthfully and promptly.

“I’m glad, broths can be bland at times. If you continue to have no trouble with broth, we’ll move you onto soup in a day or two. Hopefully we’ll have you eating solid food in a weeks or so.”

It didn’t fully understand but that never mattered. It kept swallowing, a strange feeling in its middle growing and then the bowl was set aside. “That’s enough in one go, you can have more later. I need to have a look at your wound now.”

It reached down to pull at the clothing it had been put in, people clothing rather than the undersuit units were provided with. It looked down as the bandage was unwound, seeing the skin which had begun healing. So why did it still feel so weak?

“The wound looks good, no infection, the skin is healing quicker than I expected. If you continue to heal at this rate, the stitches can be removed in a few days.” He held his hands out and it stared. “I want you to squeeze my hands, I need to check a few things.”

“Understood.” It took the offered hands and squeezed, realising it was nowhere near the level it should be. “This unit is malfunctioning.”

“You were grievously injured; it is not surprising your body is weak.”

“Specs is right, you gotta give yourself time to heal,” the sleepy voice surprised it and it turned its head to find the Prince awake and watching it.

“Understood.” It carefully followed instructions, as quickly as possible, wanting to keep them happy. It didn’t want to be reprimanded.

“You’re very prompt,” the Adviser told it and then the Prince sat up.

“Hey, that sounds good,” he offered, and it looked at him again. “What do you think, Prompto?”

“It certainly fits. Do you like the sound of that?”

“This unit does not understand,” it admitted.

“You need a name, what do you think of Prompto?”

A name? It had thought they understood, units did not have names. And then a hand covered its and it looked up to see the Prince watching it.

“You are a person. What the Empire did to you was wrong, you didn’t deserve any of it. I know you don’t understand a lot about being free, but we’ll help you learn. The first step is choosing a name for yourself. If you don’t like Prompto we can think up other options.”

Prompto…prompt…quick… it was quick at shooting. It glanced between them, unsure. They had done nothing to trick it into a reprimand yet. “Prompto, this unit is Prompto?”

“If you like it,” the Adviser answered.

“Prompto,” it agreed and then the Prince smiled at it.

“It’s nice to meet you Prompto. I’m Noctis but you can call me Noct,” he reached out and took the units hand, doing something. “That’s a handshake, a way of saying hello.”

It looked at the Adviser who held his hand out, so it slowly took it and the Adviser gave a handshake. “Hello Prompto, you can call me Ignis.”

It was allowed to call them by name and not title? Was that part of being a person? Would they change their minds if it messed up too many times? It blinked and then started slightly at finding it was leaning against the Pr…Noct, when had that happened?

“It’s okay, you’re exhausted from the big morning,” Noct told it, lifting a hand to rub its back and he never flinched from the metal. “Sleep and healthy meals will help you recover quicker.” He wasn’t making it move away and it relaxed, the heat from Noct’s body felt good.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis glanced down to find Prompto fast asleep against him. He was glad they’d sorted out a name for him, the next step would be getting him to refer to himself properly and not as a unit. Ignis moved in to gently move him so Noctis could lie back down and then he shifted Prompto, tucking him against his side, holding him since it had helped him sleep better earlier.

“You aren’t hungry?”

“Not at the moment,” Noctis answered and Ignis nodded, picking up the mostly empty bowl.

“Call out if either of you needs anything,” he said as he left the bedroom.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

“He eat it all?” Gladio asked as Ignis emerged.

“A good portion of it,” Ignis moved to clean up, putting the pot of cooling broth into the fridge to keep it safe for later.

“Do you think he’s got a chance of making it?” he asked and Ignis sighed, sitting opposite him, pushing his glasses up.

“Honestly? I think he has a chance in the short term. Without taking him to Lady Lunafreya, I am doubtful he will live to see twenty five, if that. either his body will reject the metallic implants without continuing treatments or…”

“He’ll turn daemon,” Gladio finished for him. if it came to that, he’d kill the boy, no one deserved that fate.

Ignis nodded. “Oh, his name is Prompto. It was Noct’s suggestion and he seemed to like it.”

“Prompto, got it.” Not the weirdest name he’d ever heard. “How long are we planning to stay? We gonna just leave him here with gear or what?”

“I honestly don’t know, unless he somehow gains the ability to withstand sunlight, going with us would be suicide. Leaving him would only prolong such a fate with no access to further supplies. If he remained stable, perhaps Cid would take him in? He could at least move around at night since electric lights and Havens appear to have no ill affect. Perhaps the Marshal could find him somewhere.”

“You want to tell Cor what’s going on?” Yeah, he was not volunteering for that. Cor was not going to be happy with Noctis for sparing Prompto or them for allowing it to continue. But Cor wasn’t here, hadn’t seen the horrors the kid had been put through, if he saw and heard Prompto, he’d agree with sparing him, Gladio hoped anyway. Just like he was hoping the kid didn’t turn on them once recovered.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis watched Prompto sleep, not feeling like a nap at the moment. He looked so peaceful; he hoped his dreams were happy. Did he dream? Or had they trained that out of him somehow? He watched as Prompto shifted, curling closer, fingers wrapping around his shirt, holding him in place, not that Noctis minded. It was nice to just lie in a bed without worrying about a hunt or attack.

He glanced down again when Prompto coughed, seeing his forehead crease in his sleep, looking a little distressed. He coughed again and Noctis rubbed his back, trying to ease it but he began coughing and Noctis sat up, pulling him up with him. Prompto startled awake even as he hunched in, coughing wetly.

“IGNIS!” He yelled as he supported Prompto, thumping his back lightly.

Ignis ran in and saw them, quickly moving to Prompto’s side to help hold him up. “It’s alright, just try to breath slow and shallow.” A deep breath might just make him cough more.

Noctis swore as he saw black fluid at the corner of Prompto’s mouth. “He’s coughing up black gunk.”

“Gladio we need a bowl or bucket!” Ignis called and Gladio soon arrived with an old bucket. “Thank you,” Ignis took it. “You can cough that stuff into the bucket.”

“I’ll get some water,” Gladio left to get some, returning with a mug full.

Noctis just held on as Prompto coughed helplessly, praying it was a good sign, that his body was rejecting the Scourge and expelling it, not that he was dying. “It’s okay, we’ve got you,” he murmured, back to rubbing his back as the coughing slowed.

Within an hour he had spiked a fever, every breath sounding wet even as he struggled to stay awake. Noctis didn’t let go, rocking him gently or rubbing his back when needed. He was sitting fulling behind Prompto, acting as his support since he couldn’t hold himself up at all. His back would probably make him pay later but he didn’t care.

“We need to cool him down,” Ignis put the damp cloth down and Gladio nodded.

“I’ll get the shower going,” he left to do that and Noct held Prompto as Ignis stripped him, the kid mumbling incoherently between coughs, eyes barely open to slits. When Gladio returned he had stripped down to underwear and he picked Prompto up, carrying him to the bathroom to hold him up in the cold shower, causing Prompto to cry out in distress, weakly struggling before he went limp. Gladio kept him in there for a while before getting out to dry and redress him and Noctis went back to holding him in the bed.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis leant against the headboard, dozing since Prompto had fallen quiet. It had been four days since he started coughing and Noct knew what the other two hadn’t said, the blonde’s body couldn’t take much more. It was surprising he’d lasted this long really since he hadn’t eaten since that first day, they’d gotten some water into him but that was all. Ignis had ended up crushing up vitamins into the waters to try and give his body the energy to fight. Even so, he’d obviously lost weight, skin dry from dehydration even as it burned with fever. He’d become incoherent, delirious, by the end of the first night, thankfully too weak to do any damage when he tried to fight whatever he was seeing. Despite that, Noct holding him still seemed to give some comfort so he held him as much as he could, but he still had to eat, sleep and use the bathroom. He couldn’t just sit in the bed all the time, last thing he needed was bedsores or something.

He jerked fully awake as Prompto began to heave, yanking the bucket under him as he began bringing up more black stuff. They’d given up on making the bed on the second day, when the black gunk had begun oozing from everywhere, wanting to save the sheets. They’d ended up putting the tarp over the mattress to save it and using an old blanket to cover Prompto when he shivered. Even if they called for help, who could come? No doctor would know how to treat this. They needed Lunafreya but no one knew where she was. Though an IV would at least help give him something to fight with.

“It’s okay, get it out, I’ve got you. We’re here Prompto, you aren’t alone,” he whispered as the blonde heaved and spat. He moved a hand to support his head, seeing his eyelids flicker. “It’s okay, I won’t let you fall.”

“Nnnn…nnn…….N’ct.”

Noctis laughed in relief. “Yeah Prompto, I’m here, I’ve got you,” that was the first sign of awareness he’d shown in far too long. Gladio took the bucket once he was done to clean it out and Ignis pressed the water mug to chapped lips. “Try and drink some water, it’ll help your throat.” He grinned at Ignis when Prompto tried to drink, getting some of the water down. It had to be a good sign, it had to be. Prompto slumped against him, limp with unconsciousness or sleep again. “He was aware, right?”

“It would appear so,” Ignis agreed tiredly, none of them were getting much sleep. He checked his skin and smiled slightly. “I believe his fever is lower. We may be over the worst.”

Noctis hugged him gently. “Hear that Prompto?” he whispered. “You’re beating it.” He knew what Iggy wasn’t saying, over the worst or not, his body may not have the strength needed to recover but he wasn’t going to tell Prompto that.

The next morning Prompto began to sweat as his fever began to break before shivering. Gladio carried him into a lukewarm shower to clean him up before ensuring he was warm under blankets. The worst appeared to be over, so long as he could get through recovery, although he was still coughing now and then.

_TBC…_


	6. ch6

_Disclaimer: not mine_

_Poll for chosen brothers will be up for a little longer, please remember to vote in the updated version_

**Chapter 6**

Gladio supported Prompto as Ignis carefully spooned broth into his mouth, all of them relieved he was swallowing on his own again, even if he had yet to truly regain consciousness. They had finally convinced Noctis to get some sleep in the other room, after taking his medication to help his back, so long as one of them remained with Prompto. His fever had broken yesterday and yet he still wasn’t waking up. Had his body simply been through too much trauma in too short a period of time?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis sat with his legs stretched out in front of him, playing King’s Knight on his phone. His back was feeling better thanks to sleep and medication although it was still worse than usual after all the stress he’d been putting the old injury through lately. He knew what Gladio and Ignis were thinking and he was ignoring them. Prompto just needed time, that was all. He’d wake up when he was ready. For once, Noctis wasn’t complaining about all the work he had to do, not when it was so necessary. Prompto couldn’t take care of his own needs so they had to do it all for him. Gladio did all the heavy lifting but Noctis could move him on the bed to ensure he didn’t lie too long on one spot, could help move his limbs to keep them limber, help with other small tasks.

He nearly jumped clean off the bed when he felt the mattress shift slightly. He dropped his phone and looked over at Prompto, seeing him shift weakly. He reached out and pressed a hand to his cheek. “Prompto? Can you hear me?” he asked softly and Prompto’s lips parted in a soft moan. He snagged the water bottle and lifted his head for him, pressing it to his lips, happy to see him drinking without further encouragement. “Please open your eyes,” he urged once Prompto was done, reaching out to stroke his hair and Prompto shifted into his touch even as his eyelids moved slightly. “That’s it, you’re doing so well,” he praised and finally Prompto’s eyes fluttered open. Noctis was surprised to find that some of the purple had faded, making them bluer than before. “Welcome back.”

Prompto licked his lips, obviously struggling to focus on him. “Noct,” it was barely even a whisper, but he smiled at his name.

“Yeah, I’m here. You’ve been really sick,” he told him, not sure what he remembered, though at least he remembered him. “Want me to help you sit up? You should try and drink some broth,” he offered and Prompto just stared at him. “Okay, let’s give it a try. He moved to kneel and then put his hands under Prompto’s arms, tugging upright, relieved to feel him trying to help. He was soon reclining on the pillows, panting for breath, exhausted from that. “Iggy!” he called, and the older male soon appeared.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis was surprised but also relieved to see Prompto awake and sitting up. “Welcome back,” he smiled at the boy who didn’t appear fully back with them just yet. Exhaustion or something more concerning. He pushed those thoughts away and approached, slowly taking a too thin wrist in his hand, checking his pulse. “How do you feel?”

“Awa…”

“Shh,” he soothed, knowing what he was trying to say. “There are no orders here. I shall bring more water and some broth,” Ignis stepped back and Noctis smiled at him.

“Thanks Specs.”

“Of course.” He soon returned and Noctis took the broth, helping Prompto to eat, both of them relieved when he managed to get more down than he had before, before falling asleep again.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It woke slowly, too slowly…there was something holding it down….it struggled to move, to get away.

“Shh, easy Prompto, you’re safe,” a soft voice called, and he obeyed, going still.

It…it knew that voice. It was hard but it forced its eyes open to find Noct’s face close to its own. “Noct,” it whispered, and he smiled at it.

“Hey, how’re you feeling today?”

“Functional,” it answered quickly, trying to work out why he would be asking. It struggled to remember.

“You’ve been really sick but you’re recovering now. You haven’t really been all that coherent when awake, though you seem better this time,” the Prince explained.

Sick? Units did not become ill. Was it malfunctioning? A hand ran over the top of its head and it couldn’t help moving into the gentle touch.

“Think you can handle sitting up?”

It ached and just lying there was tiring, but it didn’t want to disappoint him, so it struggled to get up but then Noct’s hands were there, supporting it and helping it move up.

“Easy, don’t try and overdo it,” he murmured, and it stared at him, overdo it? It didn’t understand. “It’s okay,” The Prince…Noct pressed a hand to its cheek and it found it was moving, leaning into it. Being touched without pain felt strange but good, no one had ever touched it like that before him. “Here,” a mug was pressed to its lips and it tasted the tasty broth again. “Well, you’re managing to stay awake this time so that’s good.”

“This time?” It asked in confusion.

“You woke up last night, but you were pretty unresponsive, though you did manage some broth.”

“This unit does not remember,” it admitted.

“That’s okay, it’s normal after being sick. When I was little, I was attacked by a daemon and I nearly died. I was in a coma for a long time and when I woke up, I was very weak, and I had trouble remembering things.”

It stared at Noct; he had almost been killed by a daemon? The unit…Prompto…it did not like that. Noct was kind, warm, he should not have suffered that pain. It had seen the results of daemon attacks; they were not obedient like MT’s were. Its eyes scanned what he could see for any sign of such an injury and Noct pulled away, turning his back to the unit to raise his clothing, revealing a mass of scars on his lower spine. “Such wounds are terminal.”

,,,,,,,,,,,

“I nearly died,” Noct answered, turning back to him. “Dad killed the daemon and used magic to keep me alive until we returned to the Citadel and the doctors could treat me. An inch deeper and it would have completely severed my spine. I had to be taken to the Oracle for healing.” He watched Prompto as he explained, wondering if he knew anything about magic or the Oracle. Sure enough, Prompto looked confused, and he really did look it, his face showing emotion, not just his eyes.

He’d thrown up a lot of Scourge gunk, had that somehow helped keep him from expressing himself, more than just training to repress emotions? How much damage did that stuff do to them before it turned them into daemons? Had enough been purged from Prompto to spare him that fate? Or would it just increase over time? It was sick what the Empire did to them but the only way to stop it was to defeat the Empire.

Which meant he needed the Covenants and Power of Kings. He had three of the Royal Arms but the way to Titan was under Imperial control. He’d had a few headaches, but distance seemed to be helping a little. That Titan was stirring meant they had missed Luna, which Astral would she approach next? Could they intercept her and seek further healing for Prompto?

“It’s okay to not understand, you’ve got a lot to learn and we’ll help you,” he promised.

“Why?” Prompto sounded so unsure. “Just a unit.”

Noctis gently cupped the pale, thin face in his hands, eyes serious. “You aren’t just anything Prompto. You are a person who has been badly used and hurt. They tried to make you think you were nothing, but they were wrong. You don’t have to be what they wanted you to be anymore.”

“Choose?” there…yes, there was the smallest tinge of hope in his voice and Noctis smiled.

“Yes Prompto, you can choose.”

“This u….it…” he stumbled, obviously confused.

“I,” Noctis whispered encouragingly.

“I…. I can choose.”

It sounded like more of a question than a statement, but it was still a massive step in the right direction. “Yeah, you can.”

“Not an MT,” he whispered, eyelids drooping and Noctis shifted in to help him lie down again.

He looked down when he felt something tug his shirt, finding a weak hand tangled in it and he smiled. “I’ll stay,” he promised, shifting to curl around Prompto as he fell asleep.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio slowly walked into the main room, an arm around Prompto’s waist, supporting most of his weight. It was the first time Prompto had left the bed without fully being carried since they had arrived at the cabin. He was pale and breathing hard, but he was doing his best to walk. Gladio got him over to the old couch and lowered him carefully onto it.

Prompto looked around, taking everything in and they all noticed how he relaxed further once he spotted Noctis at the window. His dependency on Noctis worried the two Retainers, it was not healthy, though it was understandable. Noctis had spared him, done everything he could to heal him, protected him. He had shown Prompto the first kindness, likely in his whole life.

Ignis grabbed the bowl of thin oatmeal and carried it over to Prompto, helping him hold the spoon when his hand shook. He’d shown no signs of being ill in the days since he had woken so it was finally time to try him on something more substantial than broth, before he lost any more weight that he couldn’t afford to lose. When he’d eaten what he could they all settled in and Prompto tensed a little, sensing the serious atmosphere, but Noctis took his hand, squeezing gently.

“We need to have a serious discussion about your future Prompto,” Ignis began, Prompto listening and watching him. “You understand that we cannot remain here forever?” he asked and Prompto nodded. “Without the ability to withstand the sunlight, you cannot safely travel with us. Even if you could, that would be placing you in grave danger as the Empire is hunting us. You could remain here, but without the means to gather more supplies, you would not last very long.”

Noctis felt Prompto flinch slightly at that and he wished Iggy hadn’t been quite so blunt about it. “An old friend of my Dad’s and his granddaughter run a garage at Hammerhead. There’s a restaurant, shop, caravan, a handful of houses. We could take you there and they could look after you. They’d keep you safe and you would be able to go outside at night in the safety of the lights.”

“Another option would be contacting the Marshal and seeing if he knows of someplace you could stay,” Gladio offered and Prompto really tensed then.

“Cor is loyal to the Crown, I wouldn’t let him do anything you didn’t agree to,” Noctis hurried to assure him and Prompto looked at him with wide eyes.

“This…I want….”

“Yes?” Noctis encouraged.

“Stay with Noct,” he whispered and Noctis swallowed.

“Prompto, do you understand how much danger you would be in if you accompanied us? The Empire capturing you would be the least of them. We have to travel in the day, and we cannot always use the car,” Ignis tried to make him understand, if he went with them, he would very likely die within days or weeks.

Prompto trembled but pleading eyes locked with Ignis’. “P..p…please,” he stammered out.

“He threw up a lot of the Scourge…maybe he won’t be so sun sensitive now?” Gladio suggested and Ignis blinked, pushing his glasses up, surprised and ashamed he hadn’t thought of that.

“Would you like to risk testing that?”

“What?” Noctis straightened in alarm and Ignis held his hands up.

“I am not suggesting he go outside at noon. A small gap in the curtain, in the morning, on his hand. As soon as there is any negative reaction we would stop.”

Noctis looked at Prompto, was even that a risk to his life? MT’s dissolved into smoke as soon as sunlight hit any part of them through the armour. He couldn’t order Prompto to not do it, it had to be his choice, or they were no better than the Empire.

Prompto hesitated before nodding slowly. He struggled to get up and Gladio moved in to help him up and closer to the window while Ignis grabbed the curtain. Prompto looked at Noctis who took his other hand in his.

“Ready?” Ignis asked and Prompto lifted his free hand up. They all tensed, ready to move, and Ignis twitched the curtain aside the tiniest amount, allowing a small amount of morning sun into the room.

_TBC…_


	7. ch7

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

_Please vote in the ffnet poll for Healer’s Son_

**Chapter 7**

_“Ready?” Ignis asked and Prompto lifted his free hand up. They all tensed, ready to move, and Ignis twitched the curtain aside the tiniest amount, allowing a small amount of morning sun into the room._

Gladio tightened his hold, ready to haul him back at the first sign of a negative reaction, Noctis squeezing his hand gently as the sun touched the pale skin of the back of Prompto’s hand. Prompto flinched and then his eyes went wide as nothing happened, no black smoke, burns….nothing.

“Prompto?” Ignis asked.

“It’s warm,” he whispered.

“Just warm?” he pushed and Prompto nodded. “That is very good news.” He let go of the curtain and Gladio got him back to the couch. Noctis grabbed a glass of water and gave it to him to sip.

“Can stay with you?” Prompto asked looking between them.

“Are you sure Prompto? It will be very dangerous?”

“Th…I can fight,” he promised.

“What weapons were you trained with?” Gladio asked, he’d seen his armour, that of MT’s and not the Infantry who used firearms. How much did the armour enhance his own physical abilities? No way he could wield an axe or sword at the moment.

“This…I am best with a sniper rifle but can use others.”

“I have never seen an Imperial soldier in your class of armour wielding a firearm,” Ignis spoke up and Prompto flinched slightly. “It’s alright,” Ignis gentled his tone further.

Noctis wrapped an arm around his shoulders and Prompto leant into him hesitantly. “It’s okay, no one’s mad at you. I think it’s cool you’re good with guns, I’m not a great shot and don’t ask Gladio to even touch one.”

“Hey!” Gladio crossed his arms and Ignis covered a laugh with a cough.

“Firearms are meant for the Imperial Infantry only, not Magitek. I…this…I…” he closed his eyes, taking in shaky breaths and Noctis shifted his hand to run through his hair.

“Take your time, there’s no rush or pressure,” he promised. He knew they all would love to pick his brain for everything he knew about the Empire but that would not be good for Prompto. It also meant letting him go with Cor was not a good idea, Cor had a soft spot for kids, he knew that, but if all he saw was a captured enemy soldier….

“Was not good enough, not strong enough. Was going to be decommissioned but one of the scientists said he wanted to try something new. Gave some of us low scorers guns. He said better to use us then waste us. Too slow converting too,” he whispered the last bit.

“Converting?” Ignis’ eyes went wide. “You mean…becoming a daemon?”

Prompto nodded but didn’t look at him. “Unit conversion is completed fifteen to eighteen years post production.”

That meant he should have turned into a daemon two years ago but he hadn’t. He’d still looked human except for his odd eye colour, but he’d thought it would finish within three years. Noctis took a deep breath and carefully hugged him. “You’re good enough how you are Prompto. The Empire wanted you to think you were nothing but you aren’t,” he promised as Prompto looked up to meet his eyes. “If you come with us, you’ll never be safe, you know that right? We’re the most hunted people on Eos and even when the Empire isn’t breathing down our necks we’re going very dangerous places.”

Prompto nodded. “Understood.”

“If you change your mind at any time, we will ensure you have somewhere to stay,” Ignis offered.

Prompto nodded but Noctis could tell he had no plans to take that option.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis carefully helped Prompto stretch out his muscles. He was still very weak but he had managed some soft cereal that morning, heavier than the thin oatmeal he had been eating the last few days. With more nutrients in his system, it was amazing how quickly he was gaining strength. It made him a little wary, he couldn’t help it, this boy had literally been made to be their enemy.

He had shown no aggression, no desire to harm any of them, quite the opposite. Their actions confused him, that was easy to see, but he seemed to be coming to accept that they did not want to harm him, that they would help him. Could he break a lifetime of conditioning? How would he react to any Lucian soldiers?

There was also the nagging question, had he been totally purged of the Scourge or was he still infected? If he was still infected then eventually he would ‘die’, become a daemon, and they would have to kill him. The Scourge was funny, you could be infected for years with little sign or you could turn in minutes, there was no real way to tell.

He caught a slight wince from Prompto and he eased his leg down. “We’re done for now. Get some rest, I’ll see to lunch.”

He saw Prompto lie down slowly as he left the bedroom.

“How’s he doing?” Gladio asked as he joined him in the kitchenette. Noctis had been sent onto the porch to clean and sort the weapons because he tended to hover too much.

“Better than I imagined,” Ignis admitted.

“He’s healing that fast?”

“Indeed.”

“Mentally?” Gladio pushed.

“He has shown no sign of violence,” Ignis confirmed. “The way he has latched onto Noctis may keep him from ever doing so, at least towards our group.”

“Maybe, and others?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It…no, he, watched Noct and the others. It was hard, to change the way he thought, of himself and everything. They never corrected it, him, though, not the way the Empire did. All they ever did was offer the correct phrasing or explained what he didn’t understand. He liked it best when he was with Noct. The other two, Ignis and Gladio, they were different to him. Sometimes Gladio watched him like some of the guards had, like he was a threat. Ignis sometimes did but not as much.

It made sense, he was an enemy solider, a threat. It still did not understand why Noct had helped him instead of killing it. He did not understand the Prince but he was not how they were taught. Staying with them would mean fighting other MT’s to protect them, the very idea made something in his head hurt. The idea of Noct being hurt or terminated as a target hurt too but differently, it hurt his head and chest. They said he was a person which meant all of them were people…so the Empire was wrong to infect them and make the daemons, to use them to fight…helping Noct would stop the Empire and maybe…save the others?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis opened his eyes in confusion, mind sluggish with sleep, the room dark. Why was he awake in the middle of the night? He groaned and rolled over before the problem sank in…the bed was empty. He shoved himself up, looking around but he was the only one in the bed. He got up, stumbling sleepily, before he got his bearings, seeing Gladio and Ignis asleep in the mass of sleeping bags in the main room. He saw the sliver of light and heard something so he moved towards the bathroom, carefully pushing the door open. His eyes widened in shock and he moved into the room, pushing the door closed again before dropping to his knees beside the huddled form.

“Prom?” He whispered. “Shh, it’s okay, I’ve got you,” he slowly reached out to put a hand on a trembling shoulder, tugging him back when he didn’t shrug him off. He pulled Prompto into his arms, trying to sooth him. Prompto turned into him, burying his head in his shirt, hands clutching at him and Noctis rocked him gently, ignoring how uncomfortable the hard floor was. He was proud of Prompto for managing to get up and make it all the way to the bathroom on his own but he was very worried about why. It was the most emotion Prompto had shown yet and he hoped it was a good sign.

“S…so….”

“Shh,” Noct whispered, realising he was trying to apologise. He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but eventually the tremors stopped. He carefully pulled Prompto to his feet and got him to rinse his mouth out, flushing the toilet, and then got him back to the bedroom and into bed, wrapping him up in the blankets. “Okay?” he asked gently.

Prompto just shook his head, clinging on, but after a little while he began to whisper and Noctis felt sick. How could anyone do that do another human being? They’d all suspected how bad things had been, you just had to look at Prompto’s mutilated body to do that, but hearing it was a million times worse. The fact that it had made Prompto sick…he was definitely becoming more emotional. They would have to work at helping him to deal with emotions it seemed like he hadn’t dealt with in years. That he was beginning to have them now made it seem more likely that the Scourge had been helping to suppress them. Who knew what they did to the kids to make them suppress so much of what made them human.

“You aren’t there anymore,” Noctis whispered. “The only way they’ll get to you is through us,” he swore.

“Help you fight,” Prompto whispered, pulling back to look up at him. “You help stop them?”

“We will, we’ll stop the Empire. For you and everyone else they’ve hurt.”

“I…I…followed orders, I killed…” he was shaking again.

“Lucians?” Noctis asked softly and Prompto whimpered. “We figured as much. Were…were you in Insomnia?” he couldn’t help asking, relieved when Prompto shook his head, eyes wide. “You were a soldier, trained from childhood, you didn’t know any better. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Noctis is correct,” Ignis offered quietly from the doorway. He walked over and perched on the edge of the bed, resting a hand on Prompto’s shoulder. “You were unable to make a choice for yourself Prompto. They would have killed you if you disobeyed, wouldn’t they?” That got a nod in answer. “And when given the choice you have chosen to leave the Empire behind. That takes great courage.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis summoned the unloaded guns and laid them out in front of Prompto who watched with wide eyes. “I don’t carry a lot; they are useful in certain situations even though I’m not the best shot. They’re unloaded, your arms and aren’t up the recoil or even holding one steady for too long yet. But you might as well check them all out, get a feel for them, let me know which you’d prefer to use.”

Prompto looked down at the weapons and then back up at him. “You will give me a gun?”

“If you want to come with us then you’ll need a way to defend yourself. When not dealing with the Empire, we hunt to earn funds and keep stocked on curatives.”

Prompto nodded, slowly reaching out to pick one up. Noctis just sat back and watched as he checked them all over with an expert eye and hand. He seemed partial to the gun Noct had picked up near Wiz’s that used poisoned rounds and one that was originally made in Insomnia that tended to absorb elemental abilities of those it killed. Both were pretty good from what practice he’d done with them; they also weren’t too heavy. Prompto lifted and aimed out into the trees, pulling the trigger as if shooting and Noctis saw his arms begin to tremble.

“Don’t push it,” he warned and Prompto nodded, lowering the gun. “You like those two?”

“Yes,” Prompto smiled slightly. “Should have good range and power. If you want th...me,” he corrected himself quickly, something he was getting better at doing, every day he slipped up less and less. There were set backs but they were to be expected, you couldn’t recover from a lifetime of conditioning in a few weeks. “To provide ranged support a rifle of some sort will be needed.”

“We can look into that once we’re back on the road,” Noctis offered. “They’re heavier so it’ll take a while for you to get back up to using them.”

“And when you trust I won’t miss?” he asked quietly.

“I know you won’t shoot at us Prompto,” Noctis told him firmly. “I trust you.”

Prompto’s eyes went impossibly wide at that. “But…you shouldn’t.”

“Why not? You’ve had ample opportunities to try and hurt us and you’ve never even tried. Have you even considered it for a second?” he asked and Prompto flinched, looking away before nodding and Noctis swallowed but nodded. “Recently?”

“No…at the camp. If I...if I’d gone back with you…they would have taken me back without punishment,” he explained so quietly Noctis almost could hear him.

“Hey,” he called, reaching out to take shaking hands. “It’s okay, it’s perfectly understandable. You didn’t know us, didn’t know what we were going to do with you. It makes sense that you wanted the familiar.”

“You’re not mad?”

“No.”

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio moved away from the window. He actually admitted to having thought about trying to kill them at the beginning. That took some guts. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of arming him, even if the gun was unloaded for now. The kid had come a long way since Noctis had found him, learning to express himself, to not talk of himself like a ‘unit’. He’d begun having nightmares too, reliving the horrors he’d been put through in his sleep now that he was able understand it had been wrong, to actually feel something.

They’d taken an injured MT and begun making it into a person, they were responsible for Prompto now. He didn’t know if he would ever fully trust him, if he would be able to forget where he had come from, but he had definitely warmed up to him. It was hard not to, after having to care for his every need while his body was rejecting the Scourge. All he could do was pray that Prompto never betrayed their trust.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis smiled as Prompto as the blonde finished his lap of the clearing without breathing hard, shaking or falling. “Well done,” he praised and Prompto smiled. He was putting on weight and his hair was growing out some as well, making him look less like a half-starved refugee and more like a normal person.

They had discovered he was still sun sensitive in that he burnt very easily, then again most people with his colouring did. It was best for him to stay out of the strongest sun, or at least cover up at those times, but it didn’t make him ill. Tomorrow, they would give him a loaded gun to begin target practice. If he did alright, they would be leaving in the next day or two. Ideally, he would prefer they remain at least another month, but it was too dangerous to remain in one place any longer. At least they knew the Empire either couldn’t or wasn’t tracking Prompto, otherwise they would have been discovered long ago. They would need to purchase more equipment, another camp chair, sleeping bag, and definitely more clothing. To do so, they would need to pick up a hunt or two, they were out of funds after Gladio’s last supply run. It would be a good test of Prompto’s recovery and skills.

_TBC…_


	8. ch8

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 8**

Prompto sat in the front seat beside Ignis who was driving, unable to stop looking around in awe. Everything looked so different, more alive and vibrant, without his helmet and mask. Everything was better without his armour weighing him down. There were a lot of things he could see that he didn’t know but it was still hard to ask questions, Ignis said it would get easier with time. There were days he could barely force words out at all, but they never got mad at it.

It…he was nervous, they were taking him on a hunt because they needed money. People used money to buy the things they needed like food and weapons; the military had always given him everything he needed before. Being around other people without his armour…would they think he was a normal person? What if they realised what he was? If the Empire came for it, he would be decommissioned and recycled. They would hurt Noct and the others too and he didn’t want that to happen.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis got out as Ignis turned the car off, going to the pump to refill the tank while Ignis headed for the diner to enquire after the available hunts, Gladio heading into the station store. Noct looked into the car to find Prompto sitting frozen in his seat. He finished filling the car and moved to Prompto’s door. “Hey,” he called softly, and wide blue eyes focused on him. With the top down he could reach out and place his hand on a slightly shaking shoulder. “Easy Prompto, it’s okay,” he soothed.

“This...I…”

Noctis hid a wince at Prompto nearly refereeing to himself as a unit again, knowing it was due to the stress. “Breath Prompto,” he urged. “Nothing’s going to happen, you don’t have to get out of the car.” Noctis got back in himself. “Want to sit with me?” he offered and then Prompto was climbing over the seat to fall into the back with him. Noctis drew him in against his side, running his fingers through slowly lengthening blond hair. “It’s okay, I’ve got you,” he whispered, feeling him tremble. He’d been doing so well with them but maybe it was too soon to have him out and about. They didn’t really have a choice though, they had to get back on the move again.

They needed to get to Titan, find Luna, find more of the Royal Arms… Prompto would need to learn to be around people since they would likely be returning to Lestallum thanks to its closeness to Titan. He was pretty sure the random headaches were connected to the Astral, hopefully he wouldn’t get them with everyone Luna woke.

Gladio approached and saw them in the back so he dropped the bag in the trunk and got into the front. “Everything okay?” he asked in concern and Noctis nodded. Ignis soon joined them, carrying several flyers.

“Ready?” he asked and at the affirmative answers he got behind the wheel and drove away.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis watched over the camp even as he prepared their evening meal. Two hunts had given them enough funds to purchase another chair and sleeping bag thankfully. Prompto had done very well, though he was tired by the end of the day, slumped in his chair, almost dozing. He was putting on weight and had healed from his injuries and illness, but the hunts were the most activity he had done since Noctis had found him, so it wasn’t surprising he was worn out.

There hadn’t been a seconds hesitation in picking his targets or shooting them, easily aiming around them. It was almost like he had been fighting with them for years rather than their first two battles together. The big test would be the next time they ran into Imperial soldiers. He did not think Prompto would willingly harm them but who knew what kind of control they could exert if they realised who Prompto was. How would Prompto react to seeing his fellow soldiers? Would he falter or pull the trigger?

He plated up the meal and handed them out, happy that Prompto was able to eat the same food of them now, though nothing very spicy yet. He even made sure the blond got seconds, wanting him to get to a healthier weight as soon as possible.

,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto took a deep breath and got out of the car, immediately moving to Noctis’ side, eyes darting around nervously. It felt Noct take his hand, squeezing gently so he squeezed back. He could do this, he could act human, no one would know what it was. They walked into the diner and Noct led him to a table with long benches either side that were soft to sit on. Ignis and Gladio soon joined them and then after a while food was delivered as Ignis showed them the available hunts.

“What looks good to you Prompto?” Ignis asked and it froze, looking up at him, finding him smiling gently.

He glanced down at the flyers, confused. Did Ignis not recognise the beasts and want help identifying them? That didn’t make sense, most of them were beasts they’d hunted already; Garula, Yellowtooth, and Spiracorn. The Cockatrice was new though. He knew the names because he listened to the human soldiers, they didn’t teach the MT’s the names, just how to kill them efficiently.

“It’s okay,” Noct whispered, nudging his leg gently.

“Th…I don’t understand,” he admitted, unable to help flinching slightly.

“It’s alright Prompto, I should have made the question clearer,” Ignis told him without ever raising his voice.

They hadn’t done anything to hurt him so why did it keep expecting them to? To realise he wasn’t worth all the trouble…

“I was enquiring if you preferred any of these over the others? Would you like an easier hunt? Or something more challenging?” Ignis clarified and Prompto swallowed, shifting nervously.

This was another choice exercise. They’d been doing those, teaching him to make choices between options. No answer was right or wrong, no matter how it answered. It looked back at the flyers, scanning the information given before slowly pointing to one, waiting for reactions.

“Very well,” Ignis nodded, a small smile on his face.

He glanced at Noct who grinned at him.

“Good work,” he praised, and it felt good.

,,,,,,,,,,,

He jerked as a familiar sound reached its ears, looking up wildly.

“Prompto!” Ignis called and he jerked his eyes down to find the man between him and the Yellowtooth, lance buried deep in its side.

“Dropship,” he forced out and Ignis’ eyes went wide behind his glasses.

“Imperials!” he yelled, grabbing its wrist and tugging.

He stumbled but followed, letting Ignis pull him over to the others. It was shaking, unacceptable. Everything was kind of fuzzy, voices overlapping.

“Prompto!” Noct, that was Noctis, dark blue eyes wide with worry.

“N…Noct,” he forced out and saw some of the worry fade.

“We need to run, okay?” a warm hand closed around its wrist, this time Noct’s hand. “Come on, we need to get to the car.” He pulled and it forced its legs to move, it would not be the reason they got hurt or caught, he wouldn’t.

,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis held a trembling, unresponsive, Prompto against his chest even as Iggy drove on along the dirt path, using the trees to keep them out of sight, heading for the Fallgrove with its even heavier tree cover. It had scared him when he’d heard Ignis’ yell, turned to see him pulling a blank faced Prompto along. Prompto had let him, hadn’t been fighting or struggling. It seemed it was more shock than anything else that had caused him to shut down, maybe fear too.

He knew there’d been some concern that exposed to MT’s or any Imperial that he would fall back on what he had been trained to be, turn on them without meaning to. Noctis didn’t want to think he would but until he was faced with his old superiors there would always be that lingering concern. He believed Prompto would not want to go back to that, not with how happy the smallest thing could make him.

Eventually they stopped and got out, Gladio carrying Prompto to the Haven while Noctis helped Ignis set up.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis watched as Noctis showed Prompto photos on his phone, the blonds eyes wide in awe. While he knew what a phone and camera were, he hadn’t known they came as one object and could be used for so much.

“Where to next?” Gladio asked, glancing at the two younger men.

“We’ve accumulated enough funds to rent a caravan for a few nights and restock our supplies. Wiz’s is only a few hours away,” Ignis answered and Gladio looked at him before grinning. They’d all seen the wide eyes when Prompto had seen the photo of one on Noctis’ phone from when they’d passed through before meeting him, dealing with a rather nasty Behemoth for the ranch.

“Sounds good to me.” They could all use the downtime.

Prompto had recovered within a day after the near confrontation with the Empire but Gladio had noticed how frequently he was scanning the sky now. The kid was scared, and he didn’t blame him for feeling like that. Seeing him shut down, face blank, eyes showing too much white… they’d run rather than stand and fight. They still didn’t know how he’d react to being face to face with an MT or even a human officer but that reaction…Prompto had been afraid so he was beginning to really think that Prompto would not automatically obey or anything. Unless they had a way to make him? But they’d have to realise who he was and why would they?

A break would be good, then they would go back to Lestallum and start investigating Titan. Iris was getting frustrated with the excuses he was giving her for how long it was taking them to investigate that sword legend, but he wouldn’t risk telling her the truth, not when they couldn’t be sure the phone lines were secure.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis watched Prompto as they approached the Chocobo post, they hadn’t told him where they were going, wanting it to be a surprise. He’d only seen one photo of the birds and it wasn’t the best since Noctis wasn’t exactly a good photographer. His reaction though had been amazing, so much emotion as blue eyes had gone wide in wonder and awe. he just hoped the birds didn’t shy from Prompto, they had no idea how much Magitek was in his body, if any Scourge was still present, and if the birds shied from him… he saw the second Prompto realised where they were, blue eyes going even wider than when he’d seen the photos, a high pitched noise coming from his throat that had Gladio snickering.

They’d all gotten used to the almost inaudible buzz to his voice, but that pitch made it far more obvious. He knew it was why Prompto tried not to talk when others were around, no matter how much they reassured him that a civilian would never notice. Even most hunters probably wouldn’t and those that did would have no reason to work out the truth, MT’s never spoke after all. If anyone would realise on hearing him speak, it’d be Cor…who they hadn’t contacted about Prompto. He knew Cor was not going to be happy with them, but he had no regrets over anything.

“Chocobos,” Prompto whispered in awe before looking at him and Noct grinned at him.

“A nice surprise?” he asked and Prompto nodded. “Good. We’re going to stay a few days before heading to Lestallum.”

Ignis parked and they got out, moving to the caravan first to rent it and get their stuff stored. They then headed over to where the Chocobos were enjoying the sunshine.

“Well, look who’s back. Welcome boys,” Wiz called in greeting.

“Hey Wiz, any more trouble?” Noctis asked as Prompto shifted slightly behind him.

“Nothing, thankfully. Ah, welcome to the Outpost. I’m Wiz,” he introduced himself, having noticed Prompto.

“This is Prompto,” Noctis introduced him, reached back to gently squeeze his hand, urging him closer. “He has trouble talking,” he gave the explanation they had decided on when people noticed him being silent.

He was a far better weight than he had been at first though not quite to where Iggy wanted him, still too pale, and it was obvious Wiz had noticed, not surprising since he had to be able to detect health issues in the Chocobos at a glance. Prompto’s clothing covered as much skin as possible, to help keep him from burning and to hide all signs of what he had been. it was very easy for people to assume he had been very ill and was still recovering or left permanently injured with his unwillingness to speak.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio leant back in his chair, watching as Prompto sat in the dirt, baby Chocobos all around him, the blond in heaven. He was smiling wide, unlike anything they’d seen from him before, blue eyes alight with happiness. Noctis was leaning against the railing beside him, watching with a soft smile that few ever got to see from the young Prince…King. Noctis had always been so protected but with Prompto he was the protector and he was flourishing in the role.

They had over-protected Noctis, all of them, he was stronger than anyone had ever given him credit for, all of them too easily able to see the small, broken body from the attack twelve years ago. Prompto didn’t see that though. This was what the King had hoped for in sending Noct to a public school, encouraging him to work, to live among the people. They had to get Prompto to Lunafreya, to ensure he was safe from the Scourge, because none of them wanted to consider a future where he eventually succumbed, for him and for Noctis.

Losing anyone else…he didn’t think Noctis could take that pain, not now. His whole world had collapsed around him, all of theirs had, and all it would take would be one emotional blow too many. It was his job to Shield his King, but there were some things he couldn’t protect him from.

Lunafreya was out there somewhere, hopefully with the King’s Ring, perhaps with news of their families since she had been there. What would the Empire do if they found her first? Surely Ravus would not allow her to be harmed? He’d never met him, but she was his sister and Gladio knew he would protect Iris, surely Ravus would do the same for his own sister? Noctis had played it cool but they’d known he was eager to see her again after so long. They’d kept in contact with the notebooks over the years but that wasn’t enough to base a marriage off. Still, starting out as friends was more than some Royals had gotten over the centuries. Romantic love could come with time. They had to find her before the Empire could, well them or Cor, the Marshal could keep her safe enough. And she had that Messenger, Gentiana? Could she protect her if necessary or at least whisk her to safety?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

The feathers were so soft! He had never thought they would be so soft. And they liked him! Animals never came near MT’s; did that mean it wasn’t an MT anymore? Part of him never wanted to leave, to stay with the birds but that would mean leaving Noct and the others. It was like they were his unit now but different to any unit he’d had before. They didn’t hurt or correct him, they looked after him, taught him patiently. Ignis had nearly been bitten defending it! That would never have happened before, MT’s did not protect other units. If one fell then it fell and was replaced. If still functional when pick up arrived it would be retrieved and either repaired or recycled.

There was so much to learn, to be human, how did they do it? They learned it all from the beginning and it was having to learn it all in one go so maybe it had been easier for them, for normal people.

He lifted his camera and took another photo. Noct had bought him a camera! And Ignis had gotten it a new jacket with Chocobo feathers on it, it was warm and soft. Gladio had gotten him new boots with Chocobo feathers on the soles too. It had never had so many things before, but people wore clothing not bodysuits. They were even wearing different clothing too, not the black they usually wore. Ignis had explained the black was special protective clothing that the Crownsguard used. He even said they wanted to get him some! With Insomnia having fallen though the best they could get was the kind of clothing hunters wore. They had gotten it in mostly really dark grey and black for him, so he didn’t stand out when with them. They had even gotten it hunter tags like they had so he could hunt for funds and food if they ever got separated. 

They kept doing so much for it and it never felt like he did enough in return. How was he meant to? A unit worked together but every unit had to pull its weight, do its duties.

_TBC…_

_Hope it didn’t get confusing with the always changing use of him and it, Prompto’s still learning to see himself as a person so he does mess up and refer to himself as it, especially in his own thoughts._

_Still not sure if there’ll be pairings and what they would be if I do._


End file.
